The arms trade adviser to President Vladimir Putin says Russia has
begun delivering S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran, according to
the Russian state news agency Tass.
Tass quoted Vladimir Kozhin
as saying that the implementation of the contract for the delivery of
the S-300s has begun and the deliveries have started. He didn’t provide
any specifics.
Russia in 2010 froze a deal to supply advanced
long-range S-300 missile systems to Iran, linking the decision to U.N.
sanctions. President Vladimir Putin lifted the suspension earlier this
year following Iran’s deal with six world powers that curbed its nuclear
program in exchange for relief from international sanctions. Officials
said last month that Russia and Iran finalized the contract for their
delivery.
The S-300 deal has long worried Israel and other countries in the region, as well as the U.S., which see it as destabilizing.